Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 28, 1900 Page: 1 of 16
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VoLXX No> 26.
DALLAS, TEXAS, THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 1900.
SI Per Annum
KENTUCKY STATE CONVENTION.
Official Call for a Convention to Nomi-
nate a Candidate for Governor, Au-
gust 1, 1900.
Never before in the "history of Ken-
tucky have her citizens been called up-
on to face a graver state of public af-
fairs than set the present time. Today
the civil liberty of every citizen is at
stake, and it behooves every thought-
ful and patriotic citizen to weigh well
any action he may take in the politi-
cal affairs of the state.
On the one hand we have the Demo-
cratic party, the author and upholder
of the most infamous election law ever
placed upon the statute books of a
state—a law, the plain purposes of
which are to deliver into the keeping
of spoilsmen and politicians the desti-
nies of a great commonwealth, .even
to the extent of arbitrarily overriding
the plainly expressed will of the ma-
jority; a party of broker*, promises; a
party of impotency; a party under the
leadership of reckless spoilsmen whose
utter regard of democratic princi-
ples of government, deserves the em-
phatic condemnation of every true
Democrat; a party now officered by
those who, in 1896, mutinied and be-
trayed their associates into the hands
of the enemy! and who today greet
those whom they betrayed with a Ju-
das kiss.
On the other hand, we have the Re-
publican party, whose national princi-
ples are against the masses and in fa-
vor of the capitalistic classes. There-
fore, those who are opposed to the me-
nacing plutocracy of today ca\i not
link their destinies with those of that
party; hence it becomes necessary for
those citizens of Kentucky who do not
propose to be parties to the electoral
crimes of the so-called Democracy, or
the unjust and oppressive legislation
of the wealth-ridden Republican party,
to seek new and congenial political al-
liance. This they can And in the Peo-
ple's party.
We call the attention of the people
of Kentucky to the fact that the Peo-
ple's party has had no part In plung-
ing the state into political anarchy.
The hideous record of the past, the po-
litical crimes blackening the fair name
of our beloved state, are not of our
making; and had the principles of the
People's party been in vogue in Ken-
tuck; such could not have happened.
The bitter fruit of the past is the le-
gitimate result of the partisan system
of govepment; and the only remedy Is
to abolish government by political
parties, and give the people the power
to directly govern themselves. This is
provided for in the Populist system of
Direct Legislation through the Initi-
ative and Referendum, through which
the people may propose and vote upon
any law, or may compel the submission
of any act of legislation to a direct
vote of the people for ratification. Had
this system been in vogue in Kentucky
in the past, no set of unscrupulous pol-
iticians could have secured the enact-
ment of a vicious partisan election law,
such as the one now disgracing the
state and disfranchising her honest
people. And while we unhesitatingly
declare that the supreme issue in Ken-
tuck is the enactment of a fair and
honest election law, which will guar-
antee to the citizen the right to cast
his vote as he pleases, and have that
vote counted as cast, still we insist
that the issue of Direct Legislation is
inseparable therefrom, and will pro-
vide the only guarantee that a future
time spoilsman of some party will not
repeat the follies and crimes of the
present against the ballot.
We feel that the rank and file of the
people of Kentucky of all parties are
honest and sincere; that they desire
only the good of the state and its peo-
ple; and were these to unite in one po-
litical party with the one great pur-
pose to give to the people the right of
absolute self-government through Di-
rect Legislation and a fair and honesr.
election system, that they would con-
stitute an overwhelming majority of
the people. Therefore, firmly adhering
to ail the glorious principles of Popu-
lism, as set forth in the immortal
Omaha platform, and as reaffirmed and
emphasized in the Cinicnnati platform,
we invite all citizens, regardless of
past party affiliations and belief on
other questions, who are willing to
join with us in a grand crusade for
fair elections and for the establish-
ment of the system of Direct Legisla-
tion, or self-government by the people,
to Join with us in the State Convention
of the People's party at Louisville on
August 1, 1900. That we may have
wide differences on economic questions
should be no bar to such a union for
this specific purpose, as we can,through
the system of Direct Legislation, e-x
press our differences by voting direct on
all questions of importance, and sub-
mitting, like true Americans ,to the
decision of the majority. Whatever
may be our belief upon any question,
we know that our pet idea can not suc-
ceed until a majority of the people are
in favor of it—and under Direct Leg-
islation, as soon as a majority favor
any proposition, it may become a law.
Why then should not thosn who be-
lieve in Soclialism, in single tax, in
prohibition, in public ownership of
utilities, or, in fact, in any of the
multitude of economic reZorma, and all
other citizens who believe in the rule
or the majority through an honest el-
ectoral system, unite with us to first
secure Direct Legislation and tho op-
portunity to vote direct upon the ques-
tions at issue, and to have those votes
counted as cast.
Firmly believing that this proposi-
tion points to the way out of 'he pres-
ent wilderness of woe, which envelopes
the fair commonwealth of our nativi
ty, we repeat the invitation to all citi-
zens to join us in this crusade against
the spoils system of politics and the
political corruptionists who would
wreck our state and prostitute it.i in-
stitutions in order to secure the pow-
er to control its destinies and di-
vide its plunder.
Acting upon the instructions of tins
State Central Committee of he Peo-
ple's party, in session at Louisville, on
May 31, we hereby call a State Conven-
tion of the People's party, ro meet in
Louisville on Wednesday, August 1,
1900, at nine o'clock a. ro., ior the
•
purpose of nominating a candidate for
Governor of Kentucky, reorganizing
the State Committee as provided by
the plan adopted at the Cincinnati
National Convention, and att'j tdi ig to
any business which may properly
come before a State Convention our
party. We also ordfer caucuses if del-
egates from the various Congressional
Districts on the night of July 31, at
which shall be selected a member of
the Committee on Credentials and of
the Committee on Resolutions. Each
county shall be entitled to five votes
at large, and one additional
vote for each fifty or major-
ity fraction thereof votes cast for
Jo A. Parker for Clerk of Court of Ap-
peals in 1897. By order of State Cen-
tral Committee of the People's party of
Kentucky.—W. B. Bridgeford, State
Chairman.
THE INITIATIVE.
The amendment provides that when
five per cent of the voters petition the
legislature to pass a law, the legisla-
ture must pass it and submit it to a
vote of the people, and if a majority of
the people voting on the law vote for
it, it becomes a law; but if the major
lty vote against it, it is null and void.
The law may be drawn up by any per
son and petition circulated by any per-
son. This is called the Initiative.
THE REFERENDUM.
When the legislature on its own mo-
tion passes a law, then such law shall
not go into force until a certain length
of time after its passage. If before
that date five per cent of the voters of
the State petition that such law be
submitted to a vote of the people,
then the law will not go into force un-
til voted on by the people; and if at
such election a majority vote against
the law, it will be void and of no ef-
fect; but if a majority vote for it, it
will be valid and binding. This is call-
ed the Referendum.
Certain laws which must necessarily
go into immediate effect are excluded
from the Referendum.
FOURTH CONGREESIONAL DI8T.
By virtue of "authority vested in me
as chairman of the Fourth Congres-
sional District, I hereby call a dele-
gate convention thereof at Cooper.
Texas, July 7, for the purpose of nom-
inating a candidate for congress, to el-
ect one member of the platform com-
mittee from this district; also to elect
one member of the State Executive
Committee from this district.
The basis of representation will be
one delegate for every 100 votes cast
for Barnett Gibbs in 1898. Each coun-
ty should be well represented.
S. C. Harper, chm., Jno. F. Garner,
secretary.
#>
WI8E COUNTY POPULISTS.
THE INITIATIVE AND REFEREND-
UM IN A NUT SHELL.
A county convention is hereby called
to meet at the courthouse in Decatur
on Saturday, July 7, to nominate a full
county ticket and to select delegates
to our state convention. A full atten-
dance is desired.—S. W. Snyder, chm.,
C. C. Bearden, secy.
We do not know of any better way
of explaining the Initiative and refer-
endum than by giving the substance
of the Constitutional amendment adop-
ted by the people of South Dakota at
the election as follows:
The flame that consumed the foreign
legations in Pekin will very possibly
And fuel in thrones and empires before
it Anally dies away.—San Francisco
Bulletin.
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Park, Milton. Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 26, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 28, 1900, newspaper, June 28, 1900; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth185857/m1/1/: accessed May 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .